4. "You Create Monsters"

Summary

Cult of Body & Soul - Episode 4: "You Create Monsters"

Release Date: June 10, 2025

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Introduction

In the fourth episode of "Cult of Body & Soul," titled "You Create Monsters," hosts Jess Rothschild and the Broadway Podcast Network delve deep into the darker side of SoulCycle's rise to prominence. This episode uncovers the intricate dynamics between instructors and riders, explores the impact of political turmoil on the brand, and examines the controversial departure of founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler. Through candid interviews and insider accounts, the episode paints a comprehensive picture of the challenges and scandals that have shaped SoulCycle's legacy.

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Instructors Making Headlines

The episode opens by highlighting how certain SoulCycle instructors became notorious figures, not just for their teaching prowess but also for their off-the-bike behaviors. Janet Fitzgerald, a master instructor, provides insight into the early days of SoulCycle's strategic partnership with Equinox.

Janet Fitzgerald [02:26]: "I had no idea that Julie and Elizabeth were going to get into bed with Equinox. I had no idea about any of that."

She details how the rapid expansion brought both excitement and internal tension, with the influx of funds allowing SoulCycle to conquer new markets like California.

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The Akin Ackman Phenomenon

A significant portion of the episode focuses on Akin Ackman, a Turkish tennis prodigy turned SoulCycle instructor whose charismatic teaching style led to a cult-like following. Ackman's meteoric rise within the company exemplifies the "cult of personality" that can form around high-profile instructors.

Akin Ackman [05:28]: "Setting aside how much that costs, first off, I don't even know what you're doing in life that you can ride 3, 4, 5 SoulCycle classes a day. Back to back to back to back to back."

Ackman's dedication was unparalleled—teaching up to six classes a day, seven days a week, and reportedly earning close to $1 million annually. His ability to consistently sell out classes created jealousy among peers and eventually led to his departure to start his own fitness empire, "Akin's Army."

Akin Ackman [08:35]: "I am not a physical therapist. I am not an orthopedic surgeon, but I have spoken to physical therapists and I have spoken to orthopedic surgeons, showing them the type of... we'll call them, moves that exists on the Bike."

His exit in 2019 was a significant blow to SoulCycle, as his entire clientele followed him to his new venture.

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Addiction and Control in the Fitness Industry

The episode shifts focus to the underlying issues of addiction and control within the fitness community. Interviews with instructors like Hallie Becker and Leah Alonso reveal how personal struggles with addiction intersect with the high-intensity environment of SoulCycle.

Hallie Becker [24:36]: "Yoga became that for me. As I was getting clean, I was also finding my authentic voice at the front of the room on a mat, teaching yoga."

Leah Alonso discusses the parallels between substance addiction and the dopamine rush from high-intensity workouts, emphasizing the thin line between passion and dependency.

Leah Alonso [27:26]: "The need for extreme experiences, extreme sensations, going all in to a moment... That's why people rave. That's why we go to concerts."

Noah Shaw, another instructor, shares his experiences with male instructors engaging in inappropriate relationships with riders, highlighting a toxic aspect of the "cult-like" environment.

Noah Shaw [31:25]: "To not fuck everybody who walks in your room, to not fuck other people's wives, that's disgusting."

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Leadership Changes and Cultural Shifts

The departure of founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler in April 2016 marked a pivotal moment for SoulCycle. The strategic partnership with Equinox initially promised expansion, but the cultural shift that followed led to internal strife and a decline in the company's original ethos.

Cynthia Erivo [38:02]: "I started my company when I was 23 years old, and I know the vibe and the feeling that they wanted, that they brought. They're brilliant. They were so smart to sell. When they did, I cried..."

Janet Fitzgerald recounts the emotional impact of the founders' exit, comparing it to attending a funeral and expressing fears that the brand's magic was lost in the transition.

Janet Fitzgerald [39:10]: "I'll never forget the moment that I learned that Julie and Elizabeth were going to leave. I started combination cry, screaming..."

Melanie Whelan's appointment as the new CEO introduced a more corporate and less inclusive leadership style, which clashed with the original community-focused culture of SoulCycle.

Cynthia Erivo [42:28]: "Melanie Whelan's style of leadership was, I think, too far a step away from Julie and Elizabeth. Too far a step. She came from the world of Equinox and related, and it felt that way."

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Political Turmoil and Brand Image

The 2016 presidential election exacerbated existing tensions within SoulCycle, affecting employee morale and the company's public image. Efforts by the new leadership to maintain a politically neutral stance left many instructors feeling unsupported and silenced.

Akin Ackman [44:05]: "Tasked her with significantly expanding the brand... Once you start to like expand this very, very unique experience... it gets much, much more difficult to make sure that the quality remains as high as it always was."

Instructors grappled with the implications of political affiliations among riders, leading to a sense of alienation and frustration.

Janet Fitzgerald [46:23]: "Reckoning with that man becoming our president was insane... It was really tough."

The episode underscores how the combination of rapid expansion, leadership changes, and political unrest led to a fractured community, undermining the very foundation that made SoulCycle a cultural phenomenon.

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Conclusion

"You Create Monsters" offers an unflinching look at the complexities behind SoulCycle's success. By unveiling the personal struggles of instructors, the challenges of maintaining brand integrity amid corporate expansion, and the fallout from political upheaval, the episode provides a nuanced understanding of how even the most celebrated brands can harbor significant internal conflicts. This deep dive serves as a cautionary tale about the costs of rapid growth and the importance of maintaining core values in the face of external pressures.

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Notable Quotes

• Janet Fitzgerald [02:26]: "I had no idea that Julie and Elizabeth were going to get into bed with Equinox."
• Akin Ackman [05:28]: "I don't even know what you're doing in life that you can ride 3, 4, 5 SoulCycle classes a day."
• Hallie Becker [24:36]: "Yoga became that for me. As I was getting clean..."
• Cynthia Erivo [38:02]: "I know the vibe and the feeling that they wanted, that they brought. They're brilliant."
• Janet Fitzgerald [39:10]: "I'll never forget the moment that I learned that Julie and Elizabeth were going to leave."

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Insights and Conclusions

• Power Dynamics: The intense relationships between instructors and riders can lead to problematic behaviors, emphasizing the need for clear boundaries and accountability.

• Impact of Expansion: Rapid growth, especially through corporate partnerships, can dilute brand integrity and create logistical challenges that are difficult to manage effectively.

• Cultural Shifts: Leadership transitions, particularly from visionary founders to corporate executives, can significantly alter a company's culture, often leading to employee dissatisfaction and loss of original values.

• Addiction and Control: The high-pressure environment of SoulCycle fosters both positive and negative addictions, highlighting the fine line between passion and dependency in fitness culture.

• Political Influence: Attempts to maintain political neutrality can sometimes lead to a lack of support for employees when broader societal issues impact the community internally.

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This episode serves as a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted challenges that come with managing a cult-like fitness empire. It underscores the importance of sustainable growth, authentic leadership, and the maintenance of core values to preserve the essence of a brand amidst inevitable changes and external pressures.

Transcript

[Ariana Grande]

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[Cynthia Erivo]

Hi, I'm Cynthia Erivo and you're listening.

[Ariana Grande]

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[Unknown Speaker C]

You know this. You see it in the entertainment world every day. There's, you know, the, the Kevin Spacey's, the. I mean the fall is so fucking fast. You know, the rise can be meteoric, but the fall can be just as fast. And it just takes one wrong sentence, you know. You know, sleeping with somebody's wife, husband, whatever. I mean, really. We begin to believe our own press and the walls come tumbling down, my friend.

[Cynthia Erivo]

This is Cult of Body and Soul Episode four. You create monsters. In this episode we'll review instructors making headlines in Page Six for their ego driven behavior. We' also trace how the most divisive presidential election of our time affected the company, plus the departure of its founders, Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler. A New York post headline from May 2011 reads, SoulCycle to enter strategic partnership with Equinox. Julie and Elizabeth had self funded their current eight Manhattan studios. But if they were going to conquer California and beyond, they needed an enormous influx of cash.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

I had no idea that Julie and Elizabeth were going to get into bed with Equinox. I had no idea about any of that. And to be honest with you, I've heard Elizabeth say things like, you know, this is just a real estate deal for us. Like it was like an opportunity for us to get more locations and better locations.

[Cynthia Erivo]

They were very adamant. They said, it's not an ownership, it's a strategic partnership. Louise was the second employee ever. She started as Julie and Elizabeth's assistant and eventually became an instructor. We met her back in episode two, A Star is Born. We are still going to be SoulCycle. We're not going to be Equinox. They're going to help us out in these ways, but we are still us.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

But those girls pulled me in to Julie's apartment. They said, we need you to come to the apartment. And I thought, oh God, I'm in trouble for something. I've done something wrong.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Master instructor Janet Fitzgerald.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

We sat down and they said, we're doubling your salary and we're giving you a team and we need you to create basically, like, it's game time. We are going to create an army. And a few of us got a signing bonus from that to make sure that we are on board for this next little chapter.

[Cynthia Erivo]

And then it was kind of explosive. It was like every other month another studio opened for like four months. And then we had to kind of see how those markets were going to grow or change. But it was super exciting and it felt like there was just a little. A little buzz happening. But on the inside, the core of didn't feel any different. SoulCycle reached the apex of its popularity between 2011 and 2016. And yeah, it didn't feel any different.

[Akin Ackman]

Yet there were pockets of SoulCycle that I would call a cult. Riders of Akin were a cult. Like, they would only ride with Akin, and they would ride 2, 3, 4, 5 of his classes a day. A day.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Really powerful Soul cycle instructors, first and foremost are really good fucking performers. So Akin fucking performed.

[Cynthia Erivo]

No instructor inspired a cult of personality more than Turkish tennis prodigy Akin Ackman, a complete phenomenon within the existing frenzy that was Soul itself. In 2013, SoulCycle poached him from the Crunch Gym, where he had been teaching spin for free just a few blocks away. Atkin isn't an instructor, he's a coach. While Most instructors taught 12 classes a week, Atkin was doing 30. We're talking six classes a day, seven days a week. He rode the bike himself and never needed a day off. He was allegedly the highest paid instructor, approaching $1 million a year.

[Akin Ackman]

Setting aside how much that costs, first off, I don't even know what you're doing in life that you can ride 3, 4, 5 soul cycle classes a day. Back to back to back to back to back.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Here's John Stein, SoulCycle's top rider.

[Akin Ackman]

Akron would teach like, classes in the middle of the day, 10, 30, 12, 32. Now he would teach those classes also because he was one of the only ones that could sell them out. So he would sell out everything. No doubt about that. But to me, like, I was like, something's up here, right?

[Cynthia Erivo]

I had a front row seat to the Akken phenomenon. Because his classes typically fell right before or after Stevie's girls would follow him from studio to studio like lemmings.

[Unknown Speaker F]

If you are already showing up to a thing that's really hard, there is going to be a little bit of pick me energy that goes on in the class. You're like, damn, like, I want him to notice me. And so the nature of people that you're attracting have that energy.

[Cynthia Erivo]

It was a wild thing to see him build his army in front of us at the time, because it was really different from what we were doing in Stevie's class or Janet's class or really any of the instructors that we took at a regular clip. It's hard to describe, but it was like they were an army. They were sort of sharing one mind. Whereas I felt like maybe under Stevie's.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Tutelage, we were a little bit the.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Misfit of whatever the misfit toys. Whereas the Akan riders were all in sync with him.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

They were a little bit like robots.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Or like AI generated. I thought, like, it was. It was different. Atkins unique identifier was his speed, choreography and model looks.

[Unknown Speaker F]

I found over time, not only did the choreography get more and more and more complicated in ways that I was like, okay, when we started, this was complicated enough. All of your X's and your Y's and your fronts and your backs and whatever the fuck, why are we adding to this? I did start to feel it was a little dangerous.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Was he teaching Soul Cycle?

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Akin was not teaching Soul Cycle, but there were a lot of people that weren't teaching Soul Cycle.

[Ariana Grande]

To this day, there are a lot.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Of people not teaching Soul. He was very charming, he was very handsome, and he had his own method, and it was wild. I think it created the great divide at SoulCycle, because there was, like, all of us, you know, all of us on the training team, there was, like, you know, Marvin and Bevan and myself and all these other players. And then there was Akin. And I didn't have an ego about everyone needing to be teaching my method, so I was cool with that. I just think that all of us were wildly. To be honest with you, I think we were all wildly jealous of Atkin and his popularity and how many classes he could sell out and, like, how obsessed everyone was with him. I think all of us were just jealous.

[Cynthia Erivo]

In 2019, Page Six broke the news that Atkin was leaving SoulCycle. He was opening his own fitness empire called Atkins army, which is currently thriving in Manhattan. The entirety of his Soul Cycle clientele went with him.

[Akin Ackman]

I am not a physical therapist. I am not an orthopedic surgeon, but I have spoken to physical therapists and I have spoken to orthopedic surgeons, showing them the type of. We'll call them, moves that exists on the Bike.

[Patty Wertham]

In exercise science, there's open chain workouts, and there's closed chain workouts.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I really wanted to understand the physiology behind spinning and what it does to our body and brain. I spoke to Patty Wertham, a certified Pilates barre and yoga instructor in Los Angeles.

[Patty Wertham]

And an open chain movement would be like a jumping jack, right? Like, you're not connected to anything. Your energy is just kind of like getting dispersed out into the space around you. A closed chain movement means, like, picture a push up. Your hands are pushing into the floor, your toes are connected to the ground.

[Akin Ackman]

I have heard from numerous orthopedists that they would not be surprised if many of those riders in that class or that type of class will be having hip surgeries or hip replacements by the time they're 50, 55 years old with spin.

[Patty Wertham]

Because the soles of your feet are clipped, they are stuck into the pedals. And so in terms of physics, your body is going to do whatever it takes to work with the fact that your feet are stuck. And so that does two things. It compromises the integrity of, like, whatever position you're in. Like, your hips, your knees, they're just going to accommodate the fact that your feet have to stay in those pedals. If you think about the workout itself, if your feet are are stuck in the pedals and you are going as fast and as hard as you can, the animal in you is having a real fight or flight experience.

[Akin Ackman]

And to me, a lot of it has just always been a gimmick for social media. Someone's not gonna sit there and watch 30 seconds of me climbing a hill. Someone is gonna watch my legs moving at a 320bpm with my hands off of the handlebar. I also happen to be putting all of the pressure of my body on my knees and my joints when I'm doing that. But no one cares, because speed looks cool.

[Patty Wertham]

There's a muscle called your psoas. And your psoas is what connects your legs up into your back and into your hips. And it's the primary muscle of fight or flight in your body. And so if you're working your psoas as hard as you can and someone's coaching you through, the stakes are so high. This is your life. This is representative of the rest of your day, of the rest of your week, of the rest of your GD life, how do you want to show up? That is a crazy fight or flight experience. You're running from the tiger for 45 minutes with the lights off, and then you fucking survive. You know, like lights back up, you and your pack outran the predator. That's the emotional arc and the adrenaline, the chemical arc of what's going on. The dopamine high from that has got to be bananas. And of course, if you are stressed out of your mind, that might be the one time in the day that you didn't think about your problems. And if that's not addictive, I don't know what is.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The founders would often say that SoulCycle is not a fitness company. It's a hospitality and talent company. No one demanded a higher level of hospitality than riders in the Hamptons.

[Unknown Speaker F]

I was always told that if you worked in the Hamptons and could like succeed there, that you could do whatever you want at SoulCycle. So I was like, well, obviously I should work in the Hamptons then, because if I'm like trying to like, fast track my new career, which was one of the reasons I love SoulCycle, is that everything was.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yes, we met Miles back in episode two. He went on to work in the corporate office and oversaw studio openings across the country.

[Unknown Speaker F]

And it's very busy specifically for working out because it's. There's one road that goes through all of the Hamptons and everybody wants to party all night long and look amazing and like fierce and snatched and skinny and then they want to like roll out of bed hungover and go work out as hard as they can in the morning and then go eat delicious brunch and go to the beach and be wearing as little clothes as possible. So obviously I was obsessed with the workouts there because, like, that's where like the people. The waitlists at Bridgehampton were literally insane. Like, I was physically grabbed one time when I was doing a waitlist for a 9:30 where I was like, sir, we are not there yet.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Back up to staff the Hamptons. Sol would pull those managers out of Tribeca or the Upper east side for the entire summer. Those managers already knew the clientele. They knew how to cultivate this space of, yes, we are going to take care of you and provide this luxury experience. We know you, we see you. You're not going to a new place where nobody knows your name.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Even if you were a current employee, full time manager, you had to do a separate interview to go out to the Hamptons. And it was rounds of interview and instructors would be asked about you and what studio they think you should be at. It was quite the process. It was literally like applying for a brand new job, but with people that you already know and work with.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Perhaps the Best perk for sole employees is when you work in the Hamptons. They put you up in the Hamptons.

[Unknown Speaker F]

So we lived in the houses and the houses had, like, pools. We had a budget for food. We each had our own car. It worked out that we could have our own car. So, like, I would get up early, work the check ins, and live that dream. And then classes would kind of die down by like 2pm and then I go to the beach every night and watch the sunset, smoke a bowl with some of the instructors. It felt like summer camp. We just worked and played and all the riders would invite us to all their, like, fun parties because they wanted us to do favors for them at the studio. So I'd be like, sure, let's go to the parties. I ate some at some of the most incredible restaurants and literally watched the beach sunset every single night. Like the Hamptons. It was insane, but I love chaos.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Meanwhile, 3,000 miles away, Seoul was now open in West Hollywood, thanks to their partnership with Equinox. And it was an absolute scene. Sure, famous New Yorkers like Kelly Ripa and Katie Couric were regulars in the city, but West Hollywood was drawing an A list crowd. Oprah celebrated her 60th birthday at SoulCycle. Beyonce and Jay Z were spotted, and Lady Gaga held a fundraiser for her Born this Way Foundation.

[Ariana Grande]

I just had the best birthing experience ever at Soul Cycle.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Ride, baby, ride.

[Unknown Speaker F]

I want you to have a great ride.

[Unknown Speaker H]

And thank you so much for caring about something that matters so much to.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Me and to my family and to.

[Cynthia Erivo]

People all over the world.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Thank you, Soul Cycle and thank you.

[Ariana Grande]

On behalf of the Formless Way foundation.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

And my entire family and all my fans.

[Ariana Grande]

Thank you.

[Cynthia Erivo]

In 2014, the company moved Miles to Open Soul in Washington, D.C. where the question on everyone's lips was, well, is Michelle Obama going to ride?

[Unknown Speaker F]

We got to be a part of some really cool events. Like, I moved to D.C. and immediately I was invited to the White House Christmas party. And that's like going to the palace. It's like the Obamas were the king and queen of America at that time.

[Cynthia Erivo]

He was invited to the White House Christmas party because he was associated with Seoul.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Like, special things for people like Beyonce, where she had like a private ride or like private rides with Michelle Obama was definitely a thing that everybody knew about. They just. The only people that could attend them were SoulCycle staff and staff of the White House. But people knew about those private rides. It was pretty insane. And then, like, Tyler Perry had like a secret soul cycle pop up on his, like, Atlanta compound for a little bit where instructors would. They would fly out an instructor to, like, teach for a moment.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Meanwhile, back in New York, it was the instructors themselves who became the center of headlines and gossip.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

It was cool and it was the brand. We were all hot and fun and wild and, like, some of us home wreckers and some of us on Page Six. And it was difficult to keep the ego in check. I will say that we teach people.

[Unknown Speaker C]

How to treat us. And you create monsters. You create, oh, well, I am so adored by this community, I can say whatever the fuck I want. I can do whatever the fuck I want, and nobody's going to call me out on it. And it's true, until someone does. And they did, because, no, there is always the fall.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

And Julie knew that we liked money and she threw us a lot of money. Not a birthday went by that she forgot. We were taken out to these giant dinners and given cash, and we were treated like we were like NFL stars. The answer was never no. The answer was, let's talk about it. And it usually happened.

[Cynthia Erivo]

OG Master instructor Stacey Griffith was a staple in Page Six, usually with harmless gossip about her love life. But she made headlines at the height of the pandemic after she bragged about getting the vaccine during the window, when it was only eligible to those with serious underlying conditions. Page Six quoted a former SoulCycle staffer's response of quote, it's completely in line with Stacey's character. She operates entirely from a narcissistic standpoint. She has a huge God complex. Stacy apparently applied for the vaccine, saying she was a, quote, educator, and later publicly apologized online. Elsewhere, heterosexual male instructors garnered a reputation for sleeping with their female riders. The most notorious cheating scandal happened when the girlfriend of David Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, a sports humor website, cheated on him with her SoulCycle instructor. Portnoy retaliated by launching a mass online campaign, Slut shaming her, and trolling SoulCycle under the term cuck cycle. Notably, the instructor had a girlfriend of his own, a fellow soul instructor. She quit after the scandal broke online.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

I once saw an instructor walk out of the room in the middle of class and put her arms up in the air for the studio manager to spray her armpits with deodorant, which I almost didn't believe it.

[Unknown Speaker H]

And then you see stuff like instructors throwing their arms up in the air.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

And yelling about it being too cold in class.

[Unknown Speaker F]

I used to love making fun of Janet because her class was always 450,000 degrees. I took it one time, and I was like, how do people do this? She would always have the heat on at, like, 80 something. And I remember she used to always come out and this is after we became friendly, because I was a little scared of Janet at the beginning, because everybody's scared of Janet in the beginning because she gives you, like, a be scared of me vibe. But she's harmless and amazing.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Yeah. So Janet Fitzgerald is a witch, and I mean that as the highest compliment. She could perform a spell and you're gonna live the best life you ever live, or she'll curse your enemies for you.

[Ariana Grande]

I look at the senior master instructors at SoulCycle to be wizards and witches. They created magic and emotion the likes of which I haven't seen again.

[Unknown Speaker F]

But I remember her being like. She would always come in and be.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Like, it's fucking freezing in here.

[Unknown Speaker F]

And then, like, run back in the room. And then everybody would have to, like, run around like, oh, my God, it's. It's cold. It's cold. And she would come out and I would look at the thermostat, and It'd be like 87 degrees. And so one time she came out.

[Ariana Grande]

And she's like, I'm freezing my tits off, Miles.

[Unknown Speaker F]

And I came out of the room with a coat, and I was like, it's 87 degrees in there. People are going to die. We're not. I'm not turning it up anymore. And then the next time she. Because she came out, like, maybe three times that class, she's like, it's fogging up in here.

[Cynthia Erivo]

It's.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Don't you bring me that fucking coat, Miles. Like, but she'd be on the microphone, so it's like a lot of the instructors would create this banter with the team as well and bring it into the class.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Energy Miles was integral to building new studios from the inside out. Sound design, acoustics, and even a ritual blessing of the studio with crystals.

[Unknown Speaker F]

SoulCycle for acoustics is a box inside of a box. Because it's so loud and because there's so many bikes, it also is for, like, I guess, hydraulics. So it's like there's a little box which is a studio that you're in, and it's covered. It's completely covered by a whole nother box. So like, that helps with sound. It helps with, like, shock absorbing. Because I don't know if you've ever noticed inside a room, like, if it's a full class, the rooms can sometimes bounce. It's because there's air between the box and the other big box that holds it to speed, protect it from sound and vibrations. Because those were also some issues in the future of building studios. Some of the vibrations would travel up into the building. There was real attention set for at least the four years that I was doing this job where, like, let's set each studio up for success and make sure everything is like the brand. Like, the way it looks, the way people are being talked to, the way the sound is coming out, the way instructors are speaking, the way the music is playing, the way so it's not too loud. I mean, even down to, like, gum, making sure everything had the same thing. I mean, I ate so much Orbit gum in my almost eight years at SoulCycle that I can't even look at Orbit gum anymore. And I went through phases. There's like, the pink gum, the blue gum, the green gum. I never want to see pink bubble orbit gum ever again in my life because I OD'd on their orbit gum. My favorite thing about the soul cycle was the culture and the history. And Elizabeth, one of the founders, part of her addition to the company and to the brand, was this ritual of blessing the studio. I don't know if you ever saw there's like, a little crystal behind the bike. The story about the crystal behind the bike is that it's a quartz crystal. I can explain the ritual because this was something that I implemented into my job when I would travel and open all the new studios is I taught every studio. We did an opening ride. So after we build the studio, now let's put it together with spirit. And so I would lead the blessing of the room before this ride, of every new studio. I did this for probably, like, 60 studios in my four years. Quartz is supposed to take bad energy and cleanse it. So all the energy and all of the stuff that you let out in the dark on that bike is supposed to, like, theoretically go to the courts. Let the courts take your negative energy, leave it in the room, and get the fuck out. And a new person every time. So that's like the whole idea behind the courts taking that energy.

[Cynthia Erivo]

As we mentioned in the first episode, channeling addiction into a healing practice is the most popular path to fitness instructor next to musical theater major.

[Unknown Speaker C]

People that are in recovery are in shift. And my journey was, you know, 20 years as a fairly serious, committed cocaine addict.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Hallie Becker was a leader in the New York City yoga community before being poached by soul, where she taught for eight years.

[Unknown Speaker C]

You look at entertainers, you look at dancers, singers, poets, musicians, Artists, there is always a broken piece, which is really that crack that lets that creative light come through. But there's usually a powerful, compelling backstory with each and every creative person. And yoga became that for me. As I was getting clean, I was also finding my authentic voice at the front of the room on a mat, teaching yoga. And it was so completely powerful, but not in an ego way, in a way that I knew not only was I healing myself and. But I now had the opportunity through this platform and through my voice and through the poses and through the community to help others too. And it is the best way to heal is to give.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The cycle of addiction manifests in multiple ways. In the fitness industry, you have instructors channeling demons into a new career, then becoming addicted to the attention they receive or clients becoming addicted to the dopamine rush that comes from high intensity exercise. Others come from an unhealthy relationship with food. But when you cut to the center, any addiction, be it drugs, alcohol, food, or exercise itself, is all about control.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Well, that's interesting because I'm both, you know, a musical theater kid as well as, you know, a drug addict. So, I mean, and when I can combine the two, that is just a win.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Leah Alonso is a musician based in New York and Mexico. She's certified in both group fitness and yoga.

[Unknown Speaker H]

The need for extreme experiences, extreme sensations, going all in to a moment. I think that's what we feel when we get a good runner's high. A good workout is also what we feel when we're high on drugs or on stage. So that addiction to intensity that drives people in the fitness profession, I mean, definitely something I've had to look at in my life is like addiction to intensity.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I first met Leah 15 years ago when we briefly dated. This was a few years before I discovered SoulCycle and found a mentor in Stevie. Prior to Stevie, Leah was the first person who had the same energy and focus as I did in making the body and spirituality a priority in her life. It's not lost on me that the people I attract have similar characteristics. You might say, I love a reformed party girl.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Well, when we are running and spinning at varying intensities, we are releasing a lot of happy dopamine chemicals into the brain, which is what addicts, you know, also are chasing. It's that dopamine rush. Whether you're getting that from, you know, sex with a stranger or cocaine, or once you give up that, then the next best thing is the rush of endorphins that are flooding your system when you're Doing high intensity exercise. And also when you have the music with it too, moving with the music, it gives you a sense of peace and connection to something greater. That's why people rave. That's why we go to concerts.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The concept of false idols and gurus has been mined extensively in pop culture. Look no further than the recent HBO documentary Breath of Fire, which is basically the story of the Elizabeth Holmes of yoga.

[Unknown Speaker H]

I did seek out a guru. Like, I really wanted to find someone who was like on another level in yoga, like a spiritual God with a human body. Like, I went on this four month search through India to find a guru. And I don't know if it's my hard headed, Jewish, independent woman upbringing, but I didn't find anyone who I felt was like. I found people I could learn from, from, but I didn't find anyone who I would be like, I surrender myself to you, guru you, you know, but's best. And I'm going to just be your bitch from now on. Like, you know, like, I actually had a guy in India, Asadu, and he wanted to start an ashram with me and I had been studying with him for a month and at the end of the month he was like, if you want to go further on your spiritual journey, I can help you. But he like, through sex, like, he, he wanted me to have sex with him. And I was like, oh, I'll just stay where I am. I'll just stay where I am. I'm enlightened enough. I'm enlightened enough for, for now, you know, I'll stay on the karmic wheel.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

Well, there's a lot of great instructors that didn't used to be addicts. But like, even when I think of artists, you know, like David Bowie, my favorite artist in the world, struggled with drugs and alcohol. Artists and people who are dancing on the edge of artistry and genius and expression. And maybe if it feels like it's too much or it's too intense, then you can use like alcohol or whatever to kind of like bring it down to a more palatable, controlled place. There's a lot of layers to it. I also think, like, why are there so many addicts that are tattooed? Maybe there's a certain sense of like needing to feel so intensely again. Like the drug gave me a feeling of so much intensity. So maybe it's like the needle is doing that.

[Noah Shaw]

I am not model good looking. I'm not even like, I'm character actor good looking. I'm not Brad Pitt, I'm Dennis Franz. And if you're old enough to get that, then congratulations, you won a prize.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Noah Shaw was an instructor for over 10 years. I spoke to Noah about male instructors making a habit of sleeping with their married riders. One instructor was allegedly suspended from the schedule and ordered to complete rehab for sex addiction.

[Noah Shaw]

I've had to rely on my life and my stories and my experiences to create, create a connection. Now they started hiring really hot guys. And with that great power comes responsibility. To not fuck everybody who walks in your room, to not fuck other people's wives, that's disgusting. And that as the instructors got younger and less soulful, to turn a phrase, they became more surface and they became less careful with their actions.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Prior to fitness, Noah worked in rehab centers in LA where he helped people struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.

[Noah Shaw]

There are many forms of recovery these days, but you've got to be actively, daily acknowledging like, I have a problem, I should watch out for this.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I also spoke to Noah Shaw about Claire Veronica WALSH and how SoulCycle never addressed her death.

[Noah Shaw]

You made it a point that I found really interesting that given the circumstances of the instructor's passing, that there was never any talk of being aware of addiction. I offered myself up to the powers that be. I said, listen, if I know this has happened, if anybody wants to talk about it, needs to talk about it, or think they have a problem, let me have a phone and a desk, I don't need much. And give people an anonymous line. Let me answer phone calls from instructors. And then many instructors went off the deep end and they lost instructors to alcoholism and drug addiction. Not death, but damn close. So they fired him without giving him help or offering even a resource, might even acknowledge it.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Before we break, I am excited to announce we are doing a live show to celebrate Cult of Body and Soul. I will be interviewing Janet Fitzgerald and and Hallie Becker together on stage. Plus a live concert by the band Betty whose music is featured at the end of every episode of the series. It's happening on Wednesday, July 9 at 7pm at Joe's Pub here in New York City. Tickets are on sale now. You can find the ticket link in the show notes and I will see you there. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. From streaming to shopping, prime helps you get more out of your passions. So whether you're a fan of true crime or prefer a nail biting novel from time to time, with services like Prime Video, Amazon Music and fast free delivery, prime makes it easy to get more out of whatever you're into or getting into. Visit Amazon.comprime to learn more.

[Ariana Grande]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Knowing you could be saving money for.

[Ariana Grande]

The things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today.

[Unknown Speaker F]

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[Ariana Grande]

Bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer, availability, amount of discounts, and sales. Savings and eligibility vary by state.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Leah was taking classes all around Manhattan. One day, an instructor just didn't show up. And the other students convinced Leah to teach the class herself. She went on to become certified in group fitness and yoga.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Those particular instructors would be all about, like, work hard, play hard, and detox to retox. And that was where I was at in those days was just, I love to party. I had an identity around being a party girl in New York and also waking up the next day and going to a fitness class and sweating it all out and doing it again, you know, going out that night and doing it all over again and being in that cycle. Yeah, if you have an eating disorder or you have an addictive personality, you've been through drugs, you know, it's always like a little devil on your shoulder.

[Cynthia Erivo]

If you take enough classes over a number of years, you're bound to observe some crazy shit.

[Unknown Speaker H]

One time I was in a yoga class and the instructor looked really hungover and they actually left to go throw.

[Ariana Grande]

Up, like, in the middle of the class.

[Unknown Speaker H]

Twice. Two times he, like, ran out to puke. And we're all just kind of waiting. Like, they're like, also, I was in a class not too long ago in New York, and it was in a gym, and the teacher was teaching pretty advanced Ashtanga series. And I've been practicing yoga for 23 years. Various styles. I'm a yoga teacher. And then she made a joke, like, breathe through your nose as if. As if you're snorting cocaine. And I was like, this is a yoga class.

[Ariana Grande]

What?

[Unknown Speaker H]

What? The olden days of Leah, party girl. I would have, like, laughed and thought that was hilarious. I. I have done coke after a yoga class at 10:30am I mean, I've. That. That was me. I've done that. You know, I've been at a festival where I was performing, and it was like one of these kind of like half holistic, half rave music festivals. And I went and I took a yoga class in the morning, and then I met up with a friend, and they were like, hey, you want to do a little bump ski and I was like, sure. And it was like that. That was my life. So I would have thought that was hilarious in the past. But now, as a sober person and someone who has been, you know, practicing yoga for a long time, I found it pretty jarring and inappropriate to mention drugs in a fitness class.

[Cynthia Erivo]

In April 2016, Time magazine reported SoulCycle's founders have resigned. Allegedly, they were pushed out due to a culture war between SOL and its new owner, Equinox. Julie and Elizabeth reportedly got a payout of $90 million each. Of course, their third co founder, Ruth Zuckerman, received nothing.

[Unknown Speaker C]

I think I was in the bathroom on my phone doing my best work, scrolling, and I started to cry. I started to cry because I am an entrepreneur. I started my company when I was 23 years old, and I know the vibe and the feeling that they wanted, that they brought. They're brilliant. They were so smart to sell. When they did, I cried for two reasons. Because I knew what was was over and I knew what was coming wasn't going to be that. It wasn't going to be that magic. It was going to get lost and it was going to get swallowed up and it was going to get corporate. It was going to be ick. I saw it coming.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

I'll never forget the moment that I learned that Julie and Elizabeth were going to leave. I started combination cry, screaming, and I'm like, I came here for her. I came here to build this for her, and she's leaving. Like, it was devastating. It was devastating for all of us. It was obviously not Claire's death, but it was like, second, we felt abandoned and the company was never the same. We paint this picture right because we go like, they were perfect for sure. We were in the back office bitching about something that Julie had done or Elizabeth had said, you know, for sure, because who's ever in authority is getting projected onto. It's never gonna be right. It's never gonna be the you would do it. That's just. That's just the deal. Also, we had gotten so big. Not everybody can get to me. Not everybody can ask me questions and can I start with this jog? And like, not everybody's on their spiritual a game because they don't have to be. See, when it was smaller, I could threaten their lives. Like, I gave birth to you. I can take you away, you know, like, it was easier to manage if.

[Ariana Grande]

I can be frank. They tried to be as smooth as possible, but there was no way to avoid the crash of Julie and Elizabeth leaving.

[Cynthia Erivo]

This is Stevie Santangelo. Master instructor and my soul cycle guru.

[Ariana Grande]

They literally reinvented the wheel. So no matter what, we could have had the Dalai Lama be the next CEO, it would have crashed. They gave us everything we needed. New York City knew what the brand was. Julie and Elizabeth both spoke with us and they talked about the transition. And most importantly, Julia said, how's this going to affect you? This is not going to affect you. And then she, you know, gave us the reasons why it wasn't going to affect you. However it did, there was definitely a flavor change when we transitioned into Equinox. During that acquisition, it was really bumpy. So talking about how it felt when Julie stepped down, it was almost as if we were attending a funeral. And a lot of questions. Where's the brand going to go? Are we going to be able to maintain this? Who's going to be that person or persons we look up to? I think SoulCycle is so big, it should have been a two person job. It's just too big. And the magic of those two is one is a masterful talent manager, the other masterful at creating the emotion and the spiritual language.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

She's.

[Ariana Grande]

Elizabeth Cutler is the reason why we have the beautiful amethyst at the back of every Soul Cycle bike to absorb all kinds of energy that we don't want because a lot of energy is left on the floor and sometimes an instructor or any leader takes on the energy of the room and it's not always healthy or good. So they worked very well together. I think it was overwhelming for the next CEO.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Melanie Whelan was appointed to be the new CEO after working closely with Julian Elizabeth as chief operating officer. She was previously the head of business development for Equinox Proper.

[Ariana Grande]

Melanie Whelan's style of leadership was, I think, too far a step away from Julian Elizabeth. Too far a step. She came from the world of Equinox and related, and it felt that way. The culture of SoulCycle was always one of inclusion and diversity. We do pride rides. We did, you know, black history, everything. We just automatically did them.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The change in SoulCycle leadership was most profoundly felt during the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath.

[Ariana Grande]

The 2016 election was a time where New York City, for the most part, went dark. There were Tumbleweeds rolling down NoHo and grown adults sobbing that morning. And Becky taught before me, Ben taught before her, and then I had to teach. And the room was solemn. There was nothing to say. And we received an email from her that was, quite frankly, one of the most tone deaf things I had ever read. And in it, it talked about, we can't say anything controversial. We're not there to share any opinions. We have to look and make sure we give the writer everything that they needed. And what she actually said was, don't rock the boat or piss anybody off. She was thinking about them and not us.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Employee morale nearly collapsed in 2016. Between the timing of Julie and Elizabeth's departure, the election and the personal politics of their new CEO, Melanie Whelan, Equinox.

[Akin Ackman]

Tasked her with significantly expanding the brand. And so it went from something like, you know, 30 or 40 studios to 90, 99 in a matter of like a two or three year span. Like that's crazy. And it's crazy because you could talk about like a company that sells a product, product, a dry good, right, that you go and pick up and great, that's easy, I'll pick it up. It doesn't change the quality of the product, right? When you have to churn out instructors, more instructors, instructors, instructors, instructors, you know, training groups every four weeks or whatever it may be, like, that is really tough thing to do because the question is, is, is there that much talent out there, right? Or can you churn out that much talent?

[Cynthia Erivo]

John Stein, Hallie Becker and Janet Fitzgerald.

[Unknown Speaker C]

I mean, you can't be successful and fill your room when there is a studio at 63rd, 54th, 42nd, 72nd. I mean, you can do the math here. They were just, they were like nail salons. They were just popping up, you know, and again, the top teachers, it didn't matter. They could teach in fucking Timbuktu and their classes would sell out. But us, normal, still unicorny, but normal teachers, you know, it started to really impact our class size because there were too many classes, too many studios, too many teachers. And then now you've got this corporate acquisition, so they're even looking even closer at the bottom line.

[Akin Ackman]

And also you don't have the same quality control that you've had where you had your anchor locations, right? You had New York, you had la, dc, Boston. Once you start to like expand this like very, very unique experience to Tampa, to Seattle, to the suburbs in Virginia, it gets much, much more difficult to make sure that the quality remains as high as it always was.

[Janet Fitzgerald]

We did everything we could to keep the integrity, but the truth is, is I just don't think that anything that big can.

[Akin Ackman]

Is it possible to do that on such a mass scale? I don't know.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The answer is no, you cannot scale exclusivity.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Reckoning with that man becoming our president was Insane. But what I think it opened up internally was this idea of, like, oh, soul cycle isn't political. Like, don't bring up politics in classes. And on a personal level, I think everything is political. I think that what SoulCycle cultivated was a. A very queer space, but queer in the general idea of what fitness was for a really long time. And gyms were such a masculine environment. I think SoulCycle being founded by women, being created as that space for women, and eventually a lot of my queer friends, that was their, like, safest space of a workout too. And that, to me, is inherently political. You are creating a space for a population of people, whether that was the intention or not, that's who's showing up. And to kind of try to cut off that reality of who is our president who was elected and pretend like that's not the problem. It was really tough.

[Cynthia Erivo]

The contrast between the reverence employees had for Julian Elizabeth versus the new CEO.

[Ariana Grande]

Is striking, I can tell you. No matter how tired instructors were. We raced to the West Village to have our instructor meeting with Julie and Elizabeth.

[Cynthia Erivo]

They would both speak, Master instructor Stevie.

[Ariana Grande]

Santangelo, and always, always began by thanking us and telling us that we wore the brand on our backs. They said we wore the brand on our backs and they proved it by paying us.

[Cynthia Erivo]

But now instructors were left in the hands of a company and leader who had different interests at play.

[Ariana Grande]

The resentments with her started legitimately. Where's our wellness room? Where's our meeting? Or can we just be somewhere at corporate on those cute beanbag chairs, having some tea and hugging it out? We were the ones who had to go out there and perform at a time where we internally were broken hearted ourselves. Our CEO did not have her fucking bags. She's running around getting vegan muffins and giving people expensive handbags and taking credit of the things that Julie and Elizabeth did. One of the meetings that we had, instructor meetings, we brought up, how do we deal with riders that are wearing MAGA hats or gear into class? Because some people did. As an instructor, I could not ask you to remove your hat. The writer would wear that hat front and center all the time. And it felt like a provocation. And we were muted thanks to that email where we can't say anything controversial. We can't ask her to remove the hat. We don't want to quote, unquote, rock the boat. And you know what? It was? You didn't have our fucking backs. Glory, glory, hallelujah.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Praise the fact that outrageous rebellions start.

[Ariana Grande]

With everyday acts on a Bridge on a bus or under attack Stronger together.

[Unknown Speaker F]

We will never, never, never go back.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Cult of Body and Soul is created, executive produced and narrated by Jess Rothschild. Sound design by Caitlin White. Theme song and original music composed by Elizabeth Ziff. Gangway. By the band Betty.

[Unknown Speaker F]

Take a stand for the revolution when women demand.

[Akin Ackman]

Gangway.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Gangway.

[Jeffrey Scott Parsons]

Hey, everybody. This is Jeffrey Scott Parsons. I have just realized that I don't like the sound of my own voice, which is hilarious because I've started a podcast. Here's the deal. When we are younger, let's say 8 to 10 years old, we find filters through which we relate and understand the world. They're usually artistic in nature. Sometimes we find books, music. A lot of people find movies. For me, I found musical theater. Musical theater was my little Instagram filter through which I began to relate to the world. And that meant that the reason I knew about FDR and the New Deal in school was because of Annie. And the reason I could name all 12 tribes of Israel at church was because of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And if I'm being totally honest, a few years later, as I got older, the way that I was able to process the death of my close family members was by watching Ragtime. That's why I wanted to create a podcast, was to have conversations about musical theater that felt more profound than the razzmatazz that we usually use to get people to buy tickets. Because, let's be honest, I don't care if you think that musical theater is cool. Cool is overrated. I live in Los Angeles, so I know that cool is very overrated. But I do know that musical theater is important, and those are the conversations that I want to be having on this podcast. Here's how it's going to work. Every week, we're going to pick a show, and for that show, I'm going to have a guest and we're going to have a conversation about that show, about that musical. So what are the musicals we're going to cover? These musicals can be hits. Maybe they're not. There's no shortage of musicals, let's say. Okay, the first musical to win the Tony Award for best musical was in 1949, Kiss Me Kate. Right. So now we're in 2019. So if we just did the best musical winners, and that's not even including the musicals that didn't win best musical, like Beauty and the Beast or West side Story or Wicked or what else? Funny Girl, Gypsy, I think what will be really fun is that every guest is going to bring something different. And everybody has different tastes in terms of what they like the shows to be. Some of these shows will be some of my favorite shows. Some of them will be favorites of the guests. Some of them might be your favorites, and that might mean that we're covering a musical that I don't really care for. I'm looking at you, Mamma Mia. But it's one of the longest running shows in Broadway history, so who am I to say that people aren't connecting to it? So we'll look at it and we'll at least come up with a hypothesis as to why people connect to the show and why it's bringing them joy. So I want to hear from you. If you have an idea for a show that you would want us to cover, just email [e-mail] or you can always contact us on Twitter Sign Musical Podcast. I'm excited to hear your thoughts. Tell me what show you want us to cover and then you have to give me a good reason. It can't just be. Well, maybe it can just be. I did the show in my community theater and I want to hear what you guys have to say about it. If that's it, just be honest. I want to hear your reasonings. Why? Be sure to, like, comment, subscribe to the podcast whenever you can and share it with your friends. Because at the end of the day, you're another day older. No, at the end of the day, I want this to be a community where people can come and celebrate this art form in a way that maybe doesn't get explored as much. So please call me Jeff and bring along your show albums, because we're about to get turned up. No, that's terrible. So please call me Jeff and get ready because a musical theater podcast is is starting now.